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4.2 AVERAGE
4.2 AVERAGE
hopeful
inspiring
fast-paced
Maybe 3.5. It was interesting in parts and very, very draggy in parts.
Deft storytelling which manages to illuminate its direct subject, Dr Farmer, while simultaneously introducing the reader to the challenges of global public health disasters. It doesn't hurt that it offers you a few paths to doing something yourself along the way. If you liked it you might also try No Time To Lose by Peter Piot which illuminates some of the international institutional issues of medicine more directly.
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Farmer was a real one.
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Eye opening look into the life of Dr. Paul Farmer. An inspiring & brilliant man who brings medical care to Haiti. Starts slow but the story is worth sticking with. Will change the way you see the world
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
Have you heard of Dr. Paul Farmer? I know that until my sister recommended this book to me, I hadn't. I also didn't really know much about Haiti except what I'd seen on the news after the earthquake. If you want to learn about Paul Farmer, learning about the plight of Haiti is just part of the journey, because this doctor has taken upon himself the effort to secure medical care in this country where just finding one meal a day is a chore. Paul's creed is that one life is just not worth more than another life - that a person in the hills of Haiti with tuberculosis deserves care and treatment just as much as a senator or CEO.
Our author, Tracy Kidder, travels with Paul for years, it seems, trying to figure him out. He follows him to Haiti, Peru, Russia, and France as Dr. Paul fights not only for patients in Haiti but also for ways to staunch the treatable epidemics that plague the poor around the world. What is astonishing is not only Farmer's absolute dedication to this cause, but also the concrete and meaningful successes he has along the way. The man absolutely influences global health policies. But he also takes the time to climb the mountains of Haiti to check on the family of one small boy. He thinks big and small at the same time - wanting the world to change but willing to stop all of that to make a change in the life of one single person.
Kidder as an author is a participant in the story - sometimes cynical, forcing Paul to justify his choices. I was a bit annoyed by that sometimes but I always appreciated that Paul just will not give up on people who cannot advocate for themselves. It is a noble and admirable thing that makes you take stock of how amazingly comfortable your life is. Despite the political stuff sometimes boring me a bit, I came away in awe of what one man with a vision can do.
Our author, Tracy Kidder, travels with Paul for years, it seems, trying to figure him out. He follows him to Haiti, Peru, Russia, and France as Dr. Paul fights not only for patients in Haiti but also for ways to staunch the treatable epidemics that plague the poor around the world. What is astonishing is not only Farmer's absolute dedication to this cause, but also the concrete and meaningful successes he has along the way. The man absolutely influences global health policies. But he also takes the time to climb the mountains of Haiti to check on the family of one small boy. He thinks big and small at the same time - wanting the world to change but willing to stop all of that to make a change in the life of one single person.
Kidder as an author is a participant in the story - sometimes cynical, forcing Paul to justify his choices. I was a bit annoyed by that sometimes but I always appreciated that Paul just will not give up on people who cannot advocate for themselves. It is a noble and admirable thing that makes you take stock of how amazingly comfortable your life is. Despite the political stuff sometimes boring me a bit, I came away in awe of what one man with a vision can do.
Dr. Paul Farmer is a good person -- a doctor who makes a difference. The book got me thinking about my life's purpose and what I can do to get there. The lesson I learned here is to work really hard and do the right thing even if it doesn't always seem logical.
But the writing wasn't that great. Tracy Kidder keeps writing and writing and writing. It's clear that Kidder spent a lot of time with Farmer, but the play by play detail was tedious. It wasn't always clear which scenes were more important than the others.
But the writing wasn't that great. Tracy Kidder keeps writing and writing and writing. It's clear that Kidder spent a lot of time with Farmer, but the play by play detail was tedious. It wasn't always clear which scenes were more important than the others.
A profound book that changed the way I viewed epidemics and Haiti forever. Starts slow but is worth sticking with.